This blog started off by focussing on NZ's smaller 3rd level airlines, past and present. It has evolved to trying to present some record of NZ's domestic airline operations and some of the larger charter operators, interesting NZ international airliner movements and photos I have taken around the country. Comments, corrections or contributions are welcome, Steve - westland831@gmail.com

21 October 2012

Last Flight to Gore - Rexair

In March 1972 Andy Padgett took over Rexair
Flying School’s Dunedin operation. Reflecting its previous owner the new
venture was called Rexair and offered flight training with a Cessna 172. An application for an air charter and air taxi
service from Dunedin in December 1973 was declined but the following year, in
November 1974, the company was granted such a licence for air charter,
air taxi and sightseeing from Dunedin’s Momona Airport using a Cessna 172 and Cessna 177
Cardinal.

The most unusual of Rexair's fleet, De Havilland Tiger Moth ZK-BLI at Wigram in September 1978.

By
late 1978 the company was experiencing a steady call for charters to
Invercargill and Central Otago. At that time the air services to Invercargill
and Alexandra and Queenstown operated in the middle of the day while the
company’s clients sought a morning and evening service. As the air transport
side of the business expanded the company hired Cessna 206 ZK-DWV to meet the
growing demand.

By
April 1979 the company was operating an air taxi service from Dunedin to
Invercargill for passengers and freight. The nature of the licence required
that all Rexair’s passengers originated in Dunedin and that no additional
passengers were carried from Invercargill. This meant that a passenger could
fly from Dunedin to Invercargill and back on the one day but no one could fly
one way from Invercargill or do a return day trip from Invercargill. This meant
passenger numbers did not meet their full potential but nonetheless the numbers
were encouraging. In addition the amount of freight the service carried was
growing and by the end of 1979 over 5 tonnes of freight was being flown each
month.

The Ensign, 26 Match 1980

With
this level of support the company applied for a non-scheduled licence between
from Dunedin to Gore and Invercargill in early 1980. The company envisaged a
morning Dunedin–Invercargill–Dunedin service between 8.00am and 10.00am
followed by another round trip in the afternoon, between 3.00pm and 5.00pm in
winter and 4.00pm and 6.00pm in the summer using the company’s Cessna 206, ZK-DXH,
or Cessna 172s, ZK-DXL, ZK-ELT and ZK-EHO. The application was successful and
Rexair commenced its non-scheduled services between Dunedin, Gore and
Invercargill on the 1st of April 1980.

Two of the Cessnas used on Rexair's air service, Above, Cessna 172 ZK-DXL at Dunedin on 31 January 1979 and below ZK-EHO at Dunedin on 30 January 1979.

Unfortunately
for Rexair two other events were to conspire against the new service. The first was that on the same day
that they began their service Stewart Island Air Services took over Air
New Zealand’s services between the southern cities and also introduced a return
morning and return evening weekday return service between Invercargill and Dunedin
using a Cessna 402 and Piper Aztec. This service, while it did not call at Gore offered direct competition.

Rexair's Cessna 206 ZK-DXH, still showing signs of its previous owner, Geyserland Airways. Photo taken at Dunedin on 1 April 1979

Nonetheless
Andy Padgett told the Southland Times he was happy with the first day of the
service. “It was very good and will get even better,” he said. “The morning
flight took a full load of freight and there was a passenger on the afternoon
flight.” Despite the competition from Stewart Island Air Services the company was pleased with the response to the twice
daily, Monday to Friday service. There
was a good patronage from Gore passengers who could connect with Air New
Zealand services at Dunedin.

Below, pilot Graham Guy of Rexair at the
controls of ZK-EHO one of the three seater planes that the company has in operation
for its it flights. Mataura Ensign, 8 June 1980

But
any hope of the service being successful was dashed on the 7th of
June 1980 when the Taieri River burst its banks and flooded and closed
Dunedin’s Momona Airport for 53 days. During this time the Rexair service
operated from Taieri airfield but with the flooding stopping all Air New
Zealand services to Dunedin the impact on Rexair’s business was severe and the
company ceased operating the non-scheduled service in August 1980.

A sodden Dunedin Airport, June 1980

Looking ahead to spring, but by the end of August 1980 Rexair had suspended its regular air service. The Ensign, 22 August 1980.

Later
in 1980 a Cessna 207 was used by the company when a larger
aircraft was needed but by early 1981 the company, like others in the aviation
scene, was experiencing a downturn in operations. The activities were mainly
business charters to places such as Invercargill, Queenstown, Christchurch and
Wellington, with local joy rides in the weekends. The staff was reduced to two
full time pilots with several part-time pilots and by May 1981 Andy Padgett was
negotiating to sell company. On the 17th of August 1981 the Air
Services Licensing Authority approved the transfer of Rexair’s licence to John
Raymond Gray and Graeme Frederick Tikey whose operation was to be known as
Skyways.